Cleaner.



J. KUCKI.

CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4: 1914.

1 1 86,007 Patented June 6, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

JOHN KUCKI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 LOUIS J'. KUCKI, OF CHICAGO,

' ILLINOIS.

CLEANER.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Application filed June 4, 1914. Serial No. 842,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KUGKI, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cleaners, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to cleaners and particularly to that class of cleaners employing sweeping brushes.

One feature of the invention resides in the provision of improved mechanism for effecting the simultaneous discharging adjustment of dust receiving pans when such are employed with a brush therebetween.

Another feature of the invention resides in an improved mounting for the rotary brush of a cleaner whereby such brush may readily be removed.

Another feature of the invention has for its object the provision of an improved adjustment for the position of a rotary sweeper with respect to the surface to be cleaned, this feature of my invention being an improvement upon the invention claimed in a co-pending application Serial No. 807 ,370, filed December 18, 1913. In the device of the aforesaid co-pending application there is employed swingingly supported bail upon which the rotary brush is mounted. In the device of my present invention I provide means for adjusting the vertical position of the pivoted end of the bail and while this feature is desirably employed in connection with means for adjusting the angular position of the bail when pivoted, I do not wish to be limited to the latter adjustment in practising this feature of the invention.

Another feature of the invention has for its object the provision of an improvement upon the spring mechanism disclosed in said co-pending application for maintaining the bail in adjustment.

The invention has for still another of its objects the provision of a spring mechanism and such a. mounting for. the bail that will enable the spring mechanism to maintain rollers upon the ends of the brush in engagement with driving rollers that are turned by contact with the floor over which the cleaner is working.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof WlllCll is shown as being embraced in the same unitary structure with mechanism that also constitutes the structure a pneumatic cleaner and in which drawing Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an adjustable part of a roller brush mounting; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the dust holders or pans and a spring mechanism for controlling the same; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the part illustrated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 4.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

It will be unnecessary to describe the pneumatic portion of the cleaner in detail since those parts that are illustrated in the drawing are well known by those skilled in the art. It will suflice to say that the frame work or .casing 1 of the machine is shown as being supported at its front end upon a suction nozzle 2 and at its rear end upon wheels or rollers 3 which drive the bellows or pneumatics 4 that operate to draw air and dust upwardly through the nozzle passage, an operating handle being provided with a bail 5 that is attached to the machine. The dust box 6 with whose interior the nozzle has communication -at its front end as is well understood by those skilled in the art, affords a mounting for the structure of my invention as well as a mounting for the bail 5 and the nozzle clamping bail 7, the side walls of the dust box being desirably formed of metal and carrying bail receiving supports 8 integrally formed with the metal sides of the dust box, separately formed bail receiving sockets thus being dispensed with.

A compartment 9 is formed beneath the dust box 6, the top of this compartment 9 being constituted of the bottom of the dust box, the sides of the compartment by downward extensions 10 of the side walls of the dust box, and the front wall of said compartment by a downward extension of the front wall 11 of the dust box. The rear wall 12 of the compartment 9 is held in place by screws 13 passing through the rear Wall rigidly secured in the wall portions 19.

portions 10. The rotary brush 1%. is re ceived in the compartment 9, the periphery of this brush projecting below said compartment in order to contact with the surface being cleaned. The dust gathered by the brush l l is discharged therefrom into the dust pans 15, 16 between which the brush is mounted. These dust pans are provided with webs 17 at their ends and adjacent the adjacent transverse edges of the dust pan, these webs 12 being ournaled upon the non-rotating shafts 18 that ane coil spring 19 surrounds each shaft 18, one end of each coil spring being secured to its shaft while the other end engages the short sloping wall of the corresponding dust pan. The springs are so wound that they exert closing action upon the dust pans normally to bring these dust pans into engagement with the bottom edges of the walls 7 and 10 whereby the compartment 9 is normally closed except for the gap in its bottom through which the brush 1% projects. When gathered dust is to be discharged from the dust pans these pans are lowered by being turned upon their shafts 18 away from the walls 10, the front dust pan discharging dust adjacent the nozzle 2 while the rear dust pan discharges adjacent the wall 12.

The novel mechanism which I provide for adjusting the dust pans to discharging position against the force of the spring 19 is illustrated most clearly in Fig. 4: where I have shown apair of levers 20 having shaft continuations 21 journaled in a common bearing 22 that is carried by a side wall of the dust box 6, as by means of a bracket 23 screwed upon the dust box. The por tions 21 are continued to form handles 24-. These handles cross each other whereby one may readily be engaged by the thumb and the other by the fore finger to enable these handles to be brought together at their free ends readily to effect the simultaneous discharging adjustment of the dust pans, in which adjustment the outer and free ends of the levers 2O push upon the dust pans to rotate the same against the force of the springs 19, these ends of the levers 20 being desirably constantly in engagement with the dust pans even when. the dust pans are closed.

The brush 14: is desirably mounted within the side members of a bail pivotally secured at its front ends to the front wall portions 10 of the dust compartment 9. The pivotal connection established for the bail 25 is vertically adjustable to determine the position in which the brush 14: may be placed and to locate the range of adjustment of this brush if the bail is swingingly mounted. To this end the front wall portions 10 of the dust compartment may be provided with vertical slots 26 to receive shoulder bolts 27 that may be held in different vertical. positions by means of the bolt nuts 28. The shanks of the bolts pass through the front ends of the bail 25 and directly afford pivotal mountings for the bail if the bail is to be adapted for swinging adjustment to elevate and lower the brush 14 to adapt it to the surface being cleaned, such an adjustment of the brush 1a suiting it to the pile of a carpet or rug being cleaned. The front end of each side of the bail. 25 is desirably of bifurcated formation or has an open slot 32 to render unnecessary the removal the bolt nut 28 in order to mount the bail since the bifurcated portions may readily be slipped between the heads of the bolts and the adjacent wall portions 10. The brush 1a; is provided with rollers 29 fixed upon the ends of the brush and adapted for engagement with the peripheral portions of the wheels or rollers 29 which peripheral portions are desirably formed by rubber tires 30. The small rollers 29 are maintained in engagement with the peripheral portions 30 of the wheels 10 by means of a spring structure that presses the bail 25 rearwardly, the slots at the bifurcated ends of said bail permitting suflicient rearward movement of the bail to maintain the rollers 29 in constant engagement with the rollers 10. This spring structure desirably includes two downwardly depending horizontal fluted springs 31 which are anchored to the bottom of the dust box 6, the metal strip of which the bail 25 is made being twisted to a substantially horizontal position at the middle portion of the bail so that the fiutings in the springs 31 may receive an edge portion of the bail whereby the springs are enabled to hold the bail in position to which the bail is swingingly adjusted to adjust the vertical position of the roller 14 to adapt it to the surface to be cleaned. The springs 31 exert pressure upon the bail thus operating to maintain the rollers 29 in constant driving connection with the rollers 29 throughout the range of angular adjustment of the bail 25, a result which is permitted by positioning the slots 32 longitudinally of the bail 25.

If it should be desired to remove the brush 14: such removal may be accomplished by merely lowering the rear of the bail until it is free of the springs 31. By providing two springs 31 which are spaced apart transversely of the machine both driving rollers 29 are maintained in uni-- form driving connection with the rollers 29".

l/Vhile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention 1 do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A cleaner including a rotary brush; a bail upon which the brush is mounted, the ends of the bail being bifurcated; and bail pivots received in the bifurcating slots of the bail and toward and from which pivots the bail is permitted movement by the bifurcating slots.

2. A support; a rotary brush; and a swinging bail upon which the brush is mounted the ends of the bail having vertically adjustable bolt and slot pivotal connection with the support.

3. A support; a rotary brush; a swinging bail upon the support and upon which the brush is mounted; and a fluted spring upon the support positioned to engage the mid- I portion of the bail in its fiutings to hold the ail in different positions.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twenty-first day of May A. D., 1914.

JOHN KUGKI.

l/Vitnesses:

JEROME R. BowEs, J12, JOSEPH lVoLFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). G. 

